BSAN Meeting Minutes Jan 2017

Forty-three people were present at the Morganton Community House on Friday, January 27, 2017 for this 7:30am breakfast meeting.

BSAN member Flynn Recovery Community board of directors member Derrick Reynolds offered the invocation.

Joseph Marks, Executive Director at Burke Recovery, welcomed the group requested updates from the group:

2016 Community Health Needs Assessment

Lisa Moore from Burke County Health Department updated the group on the work of the Burke Wellness Initiative, which is a partnership between Burke Health Department, Carolinas Healthcare System Blue Ridge, and a number of agencies and individuals who are stakeholders in the wellness in Burke County. The 2016 Community Health Needs Assessment is complete, and the 3 priorities identified were: 1 – Substance Use/Misuse, 2 – Mental Health and 3 – Poverty. Burke Wellness Initiative is beginning to work on pulling action plans together for these priorities and is seeking people who are interested in participating in the action planning process. Volunteers should contact Lisa at lisa.moore@burkenc.org.

Blood Drive

Lisa Moore also announced that the County sponsored blood drive is today from 2:30pm to 6:30pm at the Cooperative Extension office.

Flynn Recovery Community

Joe Marks explained the 12-week recovery model used for the residents at Flynn Home and introduced this current group, who will go through the program’s commencement this afternoon and enter the larger community either locally or in their own home towns.

Sector Workshop – Building A Youth Coalition

Joe Marks described the Drug Free Community application process, which puts special emphasis on the establishment of a vibrant youth coalition. The group then divided into 10 sector breakouts for focused work from the perspective of that sector. The questions and their results, by sector, are listed below.

February BSAN Meeting

Next month’s BSAN meeting will be held Friday, February 24, 2017 at 7:30am. The Morganton Community House will be under renovations at that time so location will be determined and announced.

Building A Youth Coalition – Sector Workshop Results

Coalition Involvement Agreements

Sector organization

Collecting data from sectors concerning marijuana and tobacco.

Out of 12 possible sectors, 10 sectors participated collaboratively. The members of each sector joined and contributed while stating their opinions and reasons for choosing which substance (marijuana or tobacco) they felt was the biggest problem. The members of each sector also had to decide which substance they felt their sector was more ready and willing to tackle along with the reasons. Finally, the members of each sector named one thing they could contribute to a youth coalition.

Results:

Eight sectors chose tobacco as the biggest problem for the following reasons:

Tobacco is a gateway to addiction

Tobacco is easily purchased or acquired

Tobacco is highly addictive

They feel tobacco is more harmful than marijuana (More health risks)

There are more tobacco deaths in the United States

Tobacco is more prevalent in the school systems

It is illegal for youth

Second hand smoke is very dangerous

Tobacco remains the highest offense in schools

Tobacco is cheaper

Parents are more lenient with their kids smoking tobacco than marijuana

The huge nationwide medical expense due to marijuana

Vaping is becoming more popular and has extreme concentrations of nicotine

Tobacco is more socially acceptable

Seven sectors felt they had the most readiness and willingness to tackle tobacco for the following reasons:

Evidenced based studies provide proof concerning the negative side effects of tobacco

Businesses have policies in place regulating tobacco

Less evidence available showing marijuana being harmful

Marijuana can be used medicinally in some cases

The media already has successful campaigns in place regarding tobacco use

Uncertainty on marijuana legalization

Many feel we can readily identify tobacco usage

Tobacco cessation programs and products are available

More education is available concerning tobacco

More staff awareness concerning tobacco

Tobacco is sold in stores and can be better regulated

Marijuana is currently perceived as less harmful

Many believe if we can stop kids from using tobacco then we will be stopping them from further addictions

Tobacco causes more deaths each year than any other addictive substance

Two Sectors chose marijuana as the biggest problem for the following reasons:

Marijuana is mind altering causing impairment

Marijuana is a gateway drug

Marijuana is illegal

Marijuana is becoming more socially accepted

Marijuana is becoming less criminalized in court system

Marijuana is readily available

Three Sectors felt they had the most readiness and willingness to tackle marijuana for the following reasons:

Law enforcement/marijuana is still illegal

Tobacco has less harmful options available like nicotine lozenges

Police can refer offenders to counseling services

Marijuana is less likely to be allowed in a home

Institutions (Prisons etc..) can help educate in high schools

Stress management techniques are available with Yoga and other physical activities offering alternative endorphin release strategies while connecting to kids.

The one thing each sector named as their potential contribution to a youth coalition:

Youth Serving Organization Sector: Local efforts supported to encourage others (Positive reward system for opting out of tobacco/drug use)